First year chicken owner. I had a Cochin go broody on me about a month ago now I think. She has only been laying a couple months. Took a few days to break her but she broke, seems happy as can be and after 2 weeks started laying again. OK, Cochins can go broody a lot, I did not know that originally. Today - My Jersey Giant is broody! Went out this evening and she is parked on her nest with her egg and her best friends egg (they always lay together in same nest). Started doing the whole turkey look, growling, etc... Picked her up, got the eggs and took her back to the coop. So how do I stop this?! Can I stop this? I didnt think JG's went broody that much and it has been a while since our other bird was broody. This bird has never once shown signs of going broody. The Cochin did but I didnt know what to look for at the time. My birds free range all day in a large net covered run. It's about 30 x 60 in total, fenced, gated, and has hawk net over top. This hen and her best friend always laid in the same nest in our garden we have for them. They started laying there and have been laying there daily ever since. They are always together. I honestly dont know what breed the second hen is, I need to ask on here! If I block the nest like I did for our Cochin I am afraid our other bird will not want to lay. We're only getting those 2-3 eggs a day until our EE's mature in the next month or two. The Cochin I blocked her favorite nest, kept her in our coop or kept moving her around when she tried to pancake down too long. Can I do that with this bird when the other lay next to her? I am afraid the other bird may go broody soon now! So can this be prevented? We have zero interest in raising chicks at this point, they all just started laying this summer!
Broodiness is a genetic predisposition that is hormonally controlled. I have had hens go broody as many as 5 times in a season. Sometimes allowing them to raise a brood extends the period between broody spells, but not always. Once broody - always going to be broody.
Yes take all eggs and put something cold underneath them so they will feel uncomfortable from that spot and will move, them put it under her again, and repeat that should eventually snap her out of it! Or make her interested in something so she will get out of the nesting box.
How did you 'break' her? You'll have to keep on doing it, every time she goes broody. I had one this year I've broken 6 times after I let her hatch in March, and now she's broody again....hopefully she's going to live with a hatchoholic today.
